Semiannual Full Day Seminar (E1605129)

Frank Agostino is the president of Agostino & Associates, P.C., a law firm in Hackensack, New Jersey specializing in civil and white collar criminal litigation, tax controversies and tax planning.

Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Agostino was an attorney with the Internal Revenue Service's District Counsel in Springfield, Illinois and Newark, New Jersey. He also served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney, where he prosecuted primarily criminal tax cases.

As an adjunct professor, Mr. Agostino taught tax controversy at Rutgers School of Law and served as the co-director of the Rutgers Federal Tax Law Clinic.

Mr. Agostino is a frequent speaker and author on tax controversy and litigation matters. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Journal of Tax Practice and Procedure. Mr. Agostino is actively involved with the American Bar Association and the New York County Lawyers' Association.

Mr. Agostino is also the President of the Taxpayers Assistance Corp., which provides tax and legal advice to low income taxpayers in the NY/NJ area.

John P. DeSantis is a partner at the law firm of Levine DeSantis, LLC, admitted to practice law in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He received his law degree from St. John’s Law School and his Masters of Law in Taxation from Syracuse University School of Law. Prior to entering the field of law, he practiced as a Certified Public Accountant in the capacity of a Tax Manager in the international CPA firm of KPMG.

Having lectured extensively, he is currently presenting seminars and educational programs to numerous professional organizations. His vast experience in tax, accounting, estates and trusts, as well as business planning, allows him to present an extremely comprehensive program to participants in a simple manner.

JOHN J. SCURA III, ESQ., Managing Partner, SCURA, MEALEY, WIGFIELD & HEYER, LLP, Admitted to the bar 1993, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern District of New York. Education: University of South Florida (B.A., cum laude, 1988), Member, University Athletic Council; SetonHall University Law School (J.D., cum laude 1993), Articles Editor, 1992-1993, Journal of Sport Law, Author: Comment, The Time Has Come: Ending the Anti-Trust Non-Enforcement Policy in Professional Sports, 2 Seton Hall Journal of Sport Law; Juvenile Justice Clinic, 1992; Law Clerk and Case Manager, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, New York, NY, January 1989-August 1990, June 1991-May 1992. Law Clerk to the Honorable Herman D. Michels, Presiding Judge, Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, 1993-1994; Lecturer, Bankruptcy Basics@ (Institute for Continuing Legal Education 2000) Lecturer, Trying Your First Commercial Case@ (Institute for Continuing Legal Education 2001), Lecturer, “Commercial Litigation Procedure and Substance” (Institute for Continuing Legal Education 2007). Certifications: Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney (less than 2% of Attorneys in NJ Certified). Member: New Jersey State Bar Association; Passaic County (N.J.) Bar Association (Trustee); Million Dollar Advocates Forum; American Trial Lawyers Association of New Jersey, The Association of Trial Lawyers of America. PRACTICE AREAS: Bankruptcy Representing Debtors and Creditors, Complex Commercial Litigation; Bankruptcy Litigation; Insurance Coverage Issues; Plaintiff’s Personal Injury; Consumer Fraud; Construction Defects; Wills, Trusts and Estates and Related Litigation; OTHER: Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Passaic County, Member of the Board of Directors, Volunteer 1990-2000, Big Brother of the Year 1991 and 1995.

Craig Sikora earned a B.S. in Business with a concentration in Accounting from William Paterson University. Mr. Sikora has over 15 years of public accounting experience; he was formerly with Gerald Brignola, CPA, P.A. Mr. Sikora has a diversified background and specializes in individual, business and non-profit tax returns. He manages and coordinates accounting functions for client record keeping, general ledger accounting and payroll tax return issues and filings. In addition, Mr. Sikora is a QuickBooks ProAdvisor for Desktop and Online.